So how many states in the US: 50 or 51?

Have you ever wondered about how many states in the US? It seems to me that this is quite a logical and logical question for those who are fond of American culture, cinematography or English.

In my article, I will try to tell in detail not only how many states in the US, but also explain why it happened from the historical point of view. In addition, readers will learn many new and interesting facts about an amazing and huge country called the United States of America.

Number of states in the US: 50 or 51?

The United States is a huge state located in the central part of the continent of North America. And today the country consists of 50 states, one federal district of Colombia, which is considered an independent federal unit and several island territories that also do not belong to any state.

Each federal unit is divided into counties governed by city municipalities, and rural areas can, among other things, also be divided into townships.

Why do states in the US sometimes have such strange names?

Those who speak English probably know that the very word "state" can be translated as "state", but at the same time as "state or country". In 1648, when the United States was in the colonial period of the state formation, this particular word was used to refer to individual colonies. And since 1776, after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, the word "state" began to enter the official name of 46 states (for example, Texas or Idaho). Although it is impossible not to mention the fact that on the flag, say, California and to this day you can read "Republic of California".

It is believed that the basis for the origin of the names of federal units of the state are eight main sources. Let's dwell on each of them in more detail:

• 26 states have names of Indian origin, although, most likely, "Idaho" was invented. This conclusion was reached by modern linguistic scientists, as they have not been able to know its meaning to this day;
• The name of the northernmost state (Alaska) came from the ancient language of the Eskimos;
• The word "Hawaii" belongs to the language of the local population - Hawaiians;
• Eleven states are of English origin, six are Spanish and three are French;
• The name of Rhode Island is taken from (presumably) Dutch;
• And only Washington has purely American historical roots.

What is the probability of the 51st state?

We seem to have received a fairly comprehensive answer to the question of how many states in the US, but why do we then occasionally hear about some 51st? What is this mythical federal unit and why is it called this way?

The thing is that this is a kind of term that is used to refer to territories claiming such status (Guyana, Haiti, the Philippines, the Republic of Rio Grande, Sonora, Yucatán). In addition, the so-called countries to which the United States of America has a strong cultural, political or economic influence. For example, Australia, Great Britain, Georgia, Israel, Iraq, Mexico and other countries.

Also, the US Government repeatedly received the following proposals:

• On the establishment of the territory of eastern Washington and northern Idaho state of Lincoln.
• On granting for purely economic reasons New York the status of a separate state called New York City.
• On the allocation of parts of the states of Oregon and Idaho in a separate state of Eastern Oregon.
• On attempts to separate regions on the peninsula of Michigan in a separate state of Superior. Supporters came forward with this proposal, because Believe that the current government does not pay enough attention to the inhabitants of this area.
• On the hypothetical merger of several former and present Pacific territories of the United States and the creation of a unified federal unit of Pacific.

That is, based on the above, the question of how many states in the US remains open. One can say with full confidence - today there are 50, but in the very near future the situation may well change.